Memories in Time
by DisillusionedNight
Summary: Cielo is a single girl who is selected to train under Mukuro, an unpredictable, slightly insane, yet talented illusionist. Every step she takes, Mukuro's trained eyes watch her. But he still doesn't know the darkest secret that weights her world down.
1. Chapter 1

After Byakuran was defeated and all dangers passed, the Vongola decided that they would start a school to train students to use flames. This way, they hoped to have a strong fighting force that used flames if another attack ever occurred again. The school was founded by the Decimo Vongola and accepted only fourteen of each flame, or ninety eight students in total.

The school accepts the students when they are twelve and they all are able to wield their flames well. The students train together for one year before they split up into groups depending on their strength. After two years of training, the students are put into another class, and this time everyone has the same flame type. The last year is a "free year" where the students mostly train by themselves and each other. Few are even sent on small missions as practice. The students are allowed to attend any classes, from first year basics to fourth year technique. After graduating, most enter the ranks of the Vongola, becoming secretaries to important fighters. Two or three students are sent to other allied families as representatives and _spies_. Basically, they make sure that the family isn't up to anything troublesome.

The top wielder of each flame is selected and put into a group in which are called "Guardians". They resemble a student council all though they don't do much paper work, only ones regarding their own interest. They monitor the school for any trouble and often act as officers, role models, and even mentors. The "Guardians" consist of future trainees that could study under the Vongola Guardians. But because the trainees stay under their guardians for as long as the guardian wants spots barely open up. (In the five years this school was open, three assigned "Guardians" have already died. Two died on the field while the third died insane.

Standing alone in a large and well furnished room, Cielo leaned against the wall, her light indigo eyes flickering in anticipation. With a slim figure, many would mistake her as a boy. She dressed like one, too. The metallic chain that was attached to her black tight jeans clinked quietly as Cielo fingered her black leather wristband that was wrapped around her left wrist. On top of the plain white T-shirt she wore was a black dress vest that was paired with a fedora that had a dark indigo band. A calm and cool air surrounded Cielo and was emphasized with her platinum blonde hair that was tied in a neat and short pony tail that fell slightly past her shoulders. The Ice Lover, the Cool Prince, Cielo had heard herself being described as them all in the short amount of time she had attained her current look. She only chuckled and brushed the nicknames away, amused that her crazy fan girls at the academy didn't realize she was a girl. But the fact she had worn boy's clothes didn't help the situation either.

Lost in her own thoughts, Cielo failed to raise her head to acknowledge the opening door. A man with a red and blue eye stepped in, a slight smile dancing on his lips. Deliberately, Mukuro slammed the door shut to startle his new student. But all he got in response was a glance from Cielo. The two of them stood there, looking each other and trying to get a first impression. Mukuro laughed mentally to see his student, a female, dressing as a male. Cielo ran her observant eyes over Mukuro, waiting for something.

Finally, Mukuro broke the silence. "So, I assume you will be training under me?" Nodding in response, Cielo stood back up and faced Mukuro.

"Yes sir. My name is Cielo Viaggiare and I will be training under you," she replied bluntly. Sighing mentally, Cielo grimaced and wondered how she ended up in the same room with Vongola's legendary Mist Guardian. A mysterious air hung around Mukuro and a smile was on his face. It radiated of rising irritation as Mukuro watched his silent student.

Her indigo eyes were calm and Mukuro wasn't sure what he saw. Maybe it was boredom, fear, excitement, or even awe. There were too many emotions for him to decipher and Cielo's face remained mask-like. Her lips were pressed in straight line but they curved up slightly. It irritated Mukuro that he couldn't decide what the girl was thinking.

Wordlessly, Mukuro summoned his trident. He kept his eye on his student as he thumped it against the ground, making numerous columns of fire blast out of nowhere. Cielo didn't even blink as she sighed and allowed her Mist flames to dispel into the air. The flames spread out and hid Cielo from Mukuro's view. The columns of flames nearby dissolved slowly as the indigo flames slowly touched them.

Mukuro allowed himself to laugh playfully. His new student seemed somewhat talented. She managed took control of Mukuro's senses for a moment, thus making a few illusions disappear, before he forcefully take it back. Shrouded in the mist, Cielo's presence was erased and Mukuro had a difficult time finding her. Taking his trident and spinning it, Mukuro lunged into the thick mist, ignoring the small worry in the back of his mind.

Once in the mist, Mukuro felt his knees weaken immediately. His vision became blurry and his hearing dulled. In his hands, Mukuro couldn't feel his weapon or gloves. Approaching footsteps sounded dull and Mukuro failed to see his student approaching him. But he could hear her. Suddenly, Mukuro lashed out with his trident, taking his student by surprise and piercing her shoulder. With a muted gasp, Cielo leaped out of the edge of her mist and into the normal air where the last of Mukuro's illusions were fading. The mist quickly faded and revealed Mukuro standing with his trident in the illusion Cielo has made.

Looking sheepishly at her new teacher, Cielo watched her now useless illusion fall to the ground and melt away. Mukuro chuckled quietly before approaching the large door he had entered from.

"Come on now, little girl. You seem fairly talented. I want to show you off to _him_." Opening the doors, Mukuro strolled out the room as Cielo quickly walked to follow. She threw a quick glance at the room before closing the door. A burnt smell lingered as part of the ceiling was black and already falling apart. Cielo gulped as she imagined what could have happened if she waited too long and allowed those roaring red and orange flames touch her.

Running after her new mentor, Cielo dashed in the halls, following the lingering traces of Mist flames. The changing walls caught her interest as she realized she was entering a lower part of the building. The carpet covered floor slanted downwards and paper lanterns dimly lit the hall. The walls were made of simple smooth stone but oriental doorways decorated the hall as Cielo ran through them. Panting slightly, Cielo finally came to a stop. In front of her, a large metal door blocked her way. Frowning, Cielo tried to find a doorknob but couldn't. It soon dawned to her what she had to do. Muttering about inconveniences, Cielo glared at the door, willing door handles to form. Then yanking the simple silver doorknob open, Cielo quickly slipped into the brightly lit room, blinking quickly to adjust her eyes.

"Kufufu~" The low chuckle made Cielo turn her head. Making her way to the corner of the large room, where another person sat, Cielo saw Mukuro wielding his trident against Hibari. Her eyes widened in excitement as she watched the two run towards each other and attack fiercely. The two continuously lashed out at each other, a jab with a trident being swiftly being pushed away with a tonfa.

Not bothering to look at who was next to her, Cielo sat down against the wall, her pale indigo eyes trained on the fight. But she did turn her head when she felt an uncomfortable glare on her. Beside her, someone who seemed a year or two older stared at her with sharp metallic eyes that were framed with rectangular black glasses. He wore a seemingly expensive suit and sat with his legs folded neatly underneath him with his hands on his lap. Short midnight black hair shifted slightly as the man turned his eyes away from Cielo. Glancing up and down at the person next to her, Cielo's eyes wavered slightly. The man wore a suit and looked too serious and boring.

"My name is Yoru Kodokuna. You will address me as Kodokuna." Arching her eyebrow, Cielo decided how to present herself. Maybe she should act according to her "title" from the academy, smooth and pleasant. Or should she be a responsible person who was calm or an energetic person who had little control over herself? Debating thoughtfully, Cielo decided to choose the latter, knowing it would easily irritate the man next to her.

"Well then, Kodokuna-_san_, my name is Cielo. Nice to meet you~" Cielo said, emphasizing "-san". A sweet and playful tone filled Cielo's voice, sounding like the one Mukuro used when threatening others. The only difference was that it didn't give a dark mood off, instead having an honest and almost innocent feeling. Wordlessly, Yoru's gaze flickered toward Cielo when he realized she had addressed him with a suffix.

Stretching her legs out, Cielo tucked her hands behind her head. After a few moments of peering at Yoru's eyes, she sat up, a playful and curious smile curling her lips slightly. "Kodokuna-san, are of two ethnicities? Perhaps Italian and Japanese? Your name sounds Japanese." Proud that she could recognize the Japanese language, Cielo stared at Yoru, awaiting an answer.

Bluntly and in a flat tone, Yoru answer. "Yes." Well aware that the man's impatience was increasing, Cielo scooted over, closer to Yoru, and began bombing him with questions that he chose not to answer. For a few minutes, as Mukuro and Hibari fought, seemingly pointless questions poured from Cielo. The lack of attention Yoru was giving her fueled her effort to pry more words from his mouth.

"What's your favorite color?" _Silence._

"Do you like seafood?" _More silence._

Sighing, Cielo tugged the rim of her fedora. "Why are you here?" she finally questioned, unaware that the sound of clashing metal had stopped. His face calm and unreadable, Yoru turned his head towards Cielo.

"Is it not obvious? I train under Hibari."

Blinking her eyes, Cielo tilted slightly, pretending to think. "Well, you do have that cold personality…and you do seem like a loner. Perhaps you are his student. But…are you strong?" The playfulness was evident in her voice as Cielo smiled. But the warmth in her voice decreased greatly as her eyes watched Yoru for a reaction.

At first, Yoru said nothing but underneath Cielo's stare, irritation crept into his voice. "Stop staring," he demanded in a strong voice. But Cielo's grin widened as her eyes flickered to her mentor who was watching with interest. When Cielo's eyes shot back to Yoru, his hand shot out in her direction.

"Tsk-ing", Mukuro's foot appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the wall, missing Yoru's hand by mere centimeters.

"Now now, Kitsune-kun. If you want to play with Cielo, you should ask her mentor first. After all, we don't want her hurting you accidentally, do we?" The cheerful note in his voice did nothing to hide the underlying meaning.

Yoru's first reaction was to shoot back that Cielo looked too frail to do any damage. But then he realized that if "he" were to be training under Mukuro, "he" had to be very good at fighting. His second thought came when he ran Mukuro's words through his head. He had said "her", not "his". Without showing any surprise, Yoru turned his attention to studying Cielo. After a moment, it dawned to him that Cielo could be a female. Her slender fingers and long eye lashed convinced him slightly that it was possible.

"Aw, senpai. Why'd you tell him?" Cielo whined childishly as she stood up. Mukuro only chuckled in return and tapped his trident against the floor. Quickly, he was shrouded in mist and when it passed, there was no sign of Mukuro left. Shrugging, waved to Yoru before tucking her hands into her pocket. Then, she too became shrouded with a dense mist and disappeared.

As Cielo's presence was erased, Yoru watched his mentor retract his weapon in disappointment. Silently, he got up to follow Hibari as he left the large empty room, his steady steps echoing. Hibari mentally sighed in both irritation and curiosity. It seemed that now, there were two Mist illusionists to take care of. And the new one seemed weak but in the back of his head, Hibari felt that the frail looking girl could be a formable opponent.


	2. Chapter 2

Materializing in mid-air, Cielo was startled for a moment as she fell to the floor. Cielo only fell three feet or so but she heard a yell, as well as a chuckle, as she landed on her feet. Gaining her balance and turning around to see where the surprised yell came from, Cielo saw a man with fluffy brown hair that stood up. His caramel brown eyes were filled with worry and he opened his mouth to say something.

But Cielo beat him to it. "Hello Decimo, nice to meet you," she said, tipping her head down slightly to acknowledge him. Cielo's icy indigo eyes met Tsuna's warm ones, surprising him. At first glance, Tsuna had thought that Cielo was a boy. But after hearing the voice, he wasn't so sure. Cielo's voice was too high to be a boy's but seemed to low to be a girl's. The nonchalant attitude was laced with an amused tone but Tsuna couldn't figure out what Cielo was thinking. Maybe she was amused by his reaction? Or did she really not care?

Clearing his throat, Tsuna opened his mouth again, ignoring Mukuro's quiet snicker. "Hello Cielo. I am the Decimo, but please, call me Tsuna," he said in a friendly tone. The only response he received from Cielo was a quick nod. Then the three of them stood there in silence. Tsuna looked awkwardly at Cielo while she turned her attention to the window, her eyes glazing over slightly.

Meanwhile, Mukuro stood on the side, leaning against the wall and watching his student in amusement. She didn't bow profusely in respect or awe, unlike his last student. No, to her, Tsuna was another authority figure that she would have to answer to and nothing else. That made Mukuro somewhat proud as he remembered his last student, a failure. He was a nervous boy who hung onto every word that Tsuna said. And worst of all, he was too naïve.

"Eh…Mukuro?" Tsuna said, trying to get Mukuro's attention. When Mukuro nodded to tell him to continue, Tsuna grimaced slightly and hesitated. "Can you please…try not to push Cielo too far? I don't want him to be insane like your last student."

"Kufufu~" Mukuro laughed as he saw his student turn her head a fraction to glance at Tsuna. "I'll do my best but Cielo can take care of _herself_," Mukuro grinned, the corner of his mouth turning upwards slightly. His eyes glimmered when he saw Tsuna stiffen in his seat upon recognizing he had mistaken Cielo's gender.

"Cielo, I'm sorry-," Tsuna began.

"No problem," Cielo cut in, shrugging nonchalantly. Tsuna frowned and tried to apologize again but was cut off once more.

Mukuro stepped away from the wall, towards Cielo. Before he could say anything, Cielo turned to face him, her eyes sparked with interest and perhaps a dash of fear. "What ever happened to your last student?" she asked, her cool demeanor clashing with the playful tone.

Raising his hand to make a circular motion by his head, Mukuro smiled. "He went crazy. He couldn't handle being my student." Cielo arched her eyebrow as if to express disapproval but Mukuro wasn't very sure when he saw a sly grin slip onto her face.

"He couldn't handle it, huh?" Cielo said, her lips curling. "Well, don't worry mister; I'll be _much_ better than him." Mukuro nodded and turned his head to meet Tsuna's worried look.

"You heard the girl, she'll be fine. Besides, she has better things to do than to worry about surviving my illusions." Mukuro waved playfully at Tsuna before disappearing as his mist devoured him.

Staring at the place where her teacher once was, Cielo sighed. Only day one and her teacher already seemed so immature. Without another word, Cielo allowed herself to disappear in a mist, vanishing as Mukuro did, leaving Tsuna to stare at an empty room in concern.

Appearing three feet in the air, again, Cielo grunted as she fell to the ground unprepared. There was a soft ground to land on this time so Cielo didn't get hurt this time. Glancing around, Cielo sighed as she looked at the large meadow that stretched around her. The sweet smell of flowers drifted with the warm wind and a smooth sound of running water was rhythmatic. Above her, the sky was an endless blue that was dotted with fluffy white clouds. But in the middle of it all, a single tree sat, its branches reaching high into the sky. Allowing her mask of composure to cover her face again, Cielo made her way to the tree, noticing a pineapple shadow.

Before she could say anything related to a pineapple, Cielo realized the shadow was actually her teacher. His mismatched eyes were on the distant horizon, unfocused but filled with awareness. Sitting down in the shadow next to Mukuro, Cielo leaned against the tree, closing her eyes and tipping her hat over her eyes.

"Well then. What am I doing now?" Cielo questioned Mukuro.

Smiling slightly, Mukuro let a childish chuckle out. "I need to get back to my dear Nagi. So while I'm gone, you'll be sitting here, trying to turn this world into your own," he said, gesturing around him. "When I'm done, I'll come back to get you." Mukuro quickly stood up and before Cielo could uncover her eyes and protest, he disappeared.

Huffing, Cielo studied the area in front of her as she realized her situation. Apparently, she would be stuck in the world she was in for a while. Cielo assumed it also meant that she was really somewhere else and only her mind was actually awake. Sighing, Cielo slid to the ground, curling up on the soft and sweet smelling grass. Her gaze slowly gazed over as they wandered over the vast land. Piece by piece, Cielo's mind took apart the world in front of her and tore it apart.

Soon, there was nothing but darkness surrounding Cielo. The only things existing were the patch on grass she rested on and the large willow tree shadowing her. But quickly, a dark indigo began to ink the space, creating a sky that held sparkling stars and a luminous full moon. Beneath the sky, a strong land rose with smooth plains, rolling hills, looming mountains, and flowing water. And in front of Cielo, an old fashioned mansion built itself. Looking longingly at the black iron gates, the carefully trimmed plants, and the warm air surrounding the home, Cielo rose.

As she foot walked over the patch of grass and into the empty black abyss, a road of smooth white stones formed, allowing Cielo to continue on. Every step she took rung out in the hollow world that she was constructing. Upon entering the dark wooden doors, Cielo only saw an endless corridor and two flights of steps that led to the second floor. In the dim candle lighting, Cielo could only make out the outlines of the doors she passed.

There were glass doors that opened to her peaceful memories. Cielo had taken a peak in but what she saw had overwhelmed her already. There was a long beach with fine white sand. A child version on Cielo stood there, her giggles sounding like distant wind chimes. Her pale blond hair floated gently as she faced the sparkling ocean that was alight with moonbeams that kissed her skin. Farther away from the sea sat a man. He was dressed heavily in black, completely covered. But Cielo could still recall the smile that radiated of rare warmth and kindness. It made a pleasant smile creep onto Cielo's face as she slipped out of the scene, closing the door firmly.

Other doors, however, were not as bright and cheery. Finally walking to the end of the dark corridor, a large wooden door stood in her way. Cielo's eyes traced over the grains of dark wood that she had memorized years ago. Easily pushing the heavy door open, Cielo quickly walked down the concrete steps. As she reached the bottom, several lights flickered on, revealing rows of large glass containers against the walls. The glass containers were huge and filled with green liquid that held several things in suspension. Everyone one of those things, however, were invisible, being wrapped in black flickering flames. They bobbed as wires were wrapped around them, tangling them.

On the floor in front of her was a mess. A deep crimson liquid was splashed across the gray concrete, still forming puddles. Hidden in the shadows, there was a body in immersed with blood. Cielo looked at it with a grin that held glint of distaste. "Stupid old man. Had to die didn't he? Now I can't show him up." Hearing an empty thud, Cielo tensed up. She mentally prayed it wasn't her teacher who came back to "visit" her.

Hoping her teacher didn't see the body, Cielo whipped around, catching a glimpse of long indigo hair before it faded back into a shadow. With a troubled expression, Cielo let her world fall apart, collapsing back into nothing. As she stood on top of a tall marble pillar, Cielo's eyes nervously darted around, searching for someone. When her eyes caught a sign of movement by the large willow tree, Cielo forced her face to become like stone, expressing indifference. Skillfully leaping across the shuddering pillars, Cielo reached the patch of soft green grass once more.

Sitting and leaning against the tree trunk was her mentor, Mukuro. He sat, a sly look making its way into his face. Then, after examining Cielo's unreadable face, he gestured to the empty space around.

"I must admit, Cielo. That wasn't bad. You could destroy the illusions I made so quickly." Before Cielo could open her mouth to respond, his grin widened and Mukuro continued to talk. "But Cielo~ What was the in the basement? Have you been a bad girl? There was so much blood and I think I saw a corpse."

Cielo's mask of composer was slowly cracking. Not only was her mentor becoming nosy but the instructions that he tried to drive into her mind made it distracting. Mukuro chuckled lightly as he watched his student's eyes. Emotions flickered like a hurricane with a great force. But still, he couldn't read Cielo's emotions. With every sign of regret, there was a lingering spark of joy. Every wave of anger was accompanied by a teasing gleam.

Locking her eyes with her mentor's mismatched ones; Cielo let a common smile slip onto her face. "It doesn't matter what you saw. I'm still me and I'm still here," she said waving her hand in front of her. "But now that you're back, may I leave here? There are things that I have to do in the real world, as you do too."

Staring at Cielo, Mukuro nodded. To him, it seemed that Cielo wasn't going to tell anything about the bloody basement. Suspicion had slipped into his mind when he glimpsed the glass containers in Cielo's world. They reminded him too well of Vindice's prisons. The prisons that were full yet empty of life.

Placing a gloved hand on Cielo's shoulder, Mukuro warned her. "You might want to be careful. You've been asleep for two or three days," he said, causing Cielo to narrow her eyes slightly before she disappeared.

Upon wakening, the first thing Cielo felt was sunlight warming her face. Opening her eyes groggily, Cielo blinked as a blur of brown and yellow flashed into her sight.

"You're awake!" a cheerful voice yelled energetically. Groaning instantly as her eyes focused, Cielo flinched as she tried to sit up.

Cielo's body was slightly sore and numb. All of her senses, excluding her sight, were dull. Yawning as she patted around for her hat, Cielo was stopped by an intense, warm stare. Turning to meet a girl's look, Cielo forced a calm smile on. "Hello there," she said coolly as she glanced up and down at the stranger.

The girl had long brown hair that fell past her shoulder. She wore a long sleeved yellow sweater along with a white shirt underneath. Paired with brown lace up boots was a pair of faded blue jeans. On one of the slender fingers was a ring fitted with a seemingly glowing yellow stone. However, it was the vibrant green eyes that caught Cielo's attention.

"Lynelle?" Cielo said, eyes widening in remembering. It was her senpai, the one she had met in school. The one who was two years older but acted half her age. Lynelle grinned childishly as she nodded, causing Cielo to sigh mentally.

"How do you do, Cielo? I haven't seen you in so long!"squealed Lynelle as she embraced Cielo against her will.

Muttering, Cielo said, "I'm fine senpai but…may you please release me?" Pouting, the bright girl drew back slowly. Glancing around on the large bed, Cielo found her fedora and snatched it up quickly, placing it back on her head, hiding her platinum blonde hair save for the ponytail and strands that fell to the side. Sliding off the bed, Cielo was grabbed and forcefully pulled across the large room.

"Well then! Let's get you something to eat!" Lynelle declared as she swung the door open, dragging Cielo to the nearest kitchen on the estate.

Eating the pasta that was served in front of her, Cielo answered all the questions that Lynelle bombarded her with.

"How was your last year at school? Did you get to see that _hot_ teacher that taught theory class?"

"…Lynelle, you know I have no interest in such things," Cielo said as she wiped her mouth with a white napkin.

With the answer, Lynelle tsked playfully and paused for a single moment to think. "Did you find anyone cute then? I'm sure there was at least on in your year!"

Again, Cielo shook her head slightly, amused her senpai couldn't get the idea into her mind. "There might have been someone 'cute' but you know I'm not interested."

Sighing and resting her head on her hand, Lynelle's orbs flickered to Cielo. Her pale indigo eyes were tired and Cielo's hand twitched nervously for an unknown reason. "Cielo, are you okay?" Lynelle asked seriously. She still remembered the last student of the Mist Guardian and how he became crazy. The idea that Cielo was being subjected to that possibility didn't sit well with Lynelle. Still, she kept her opinion to herself and waited for Cielo to answer.

Upon hearing Lynelle, Cielo's face tensed slightly before melting back into a calm and collected face. "Yes Lynelle, I'm fine right now." Stretching her arms experimentally, Cielo twitched again as she felt the feeling in her arms returning.

Lynelle noticed this movement and in a flurry, she ran to Cielo's side. "Are you sure you're really okay?" she pestered.

Cielo's icy eyes held Lynelle's look as she mentally gave up. Her senpai was too persistent and unless Cielo relented, she knew she would be bothered for a long time. "If you insist, senpai, I will accept treatment." And under her breath she added, "And so you'll find something else to do." But Lynelle didn't hear her as she grinned and lit her yellow ring up.

"Yay!" Lynelle chirped excitedly. She enjoyed being given the chance to use her Sun flames for other things rather than fighting. So as she coated Cielo in yellow sparkling flames, she held her breath in anticipation.

Cielo didn't say anything as she felt her body refresh and her muscles loosen up. After the yellow flames extinguished, she opened her mouth to say something. However, a gloved hand placed itself over her mouth muffling her thank you. Not bothering to address Lynelle's curious and worried glare, Cielo tilted her fedora back to catch a look at Mukuro.

Mukuro was smiling but the grin on his lips seemed sly. "Yes Mukuro?" Cielo asked impatiently as her teacher removed his hand.

"Kufufu~ Impatient aren't we?" Mukuro laughed, earning a mixed look from Cielo. Her curiosity was tinted with irritation as Cielo remembered what he did to her, in "his world".

"Yes, call me impatient if you want," Cielo said smoothly, waving her hand. "But what do you really want?"

The corners of Mukuro's mouth twitched downward. His new student seemed so boring and serious right now that he felt an impulse to cast an illusion over her, just to make things interesting. But he remembered Tsuna's request to not drill insanity into his own new student. Sighing in a bored manner, Mukuro decided to answer Cielo.

"We have training, if you understand. And something to talk about," Mukuro said, almost thoughtfully. But Cielo and Lynelle both heard the playful tone laced with his words. Lynelle shivered slightly as she was never used to the Mist Guardian's torturously teasing tone. Cielo however, stared at Mukuro, her eyes narrowing in irritation.

Still, she said nothing as Mukuro insistently dragged her out of the kitchen. Before the door swung shut, Cielo managed to take her fedora off, offering a slight and awkward bow to Lynelle before disappearing behind the polished metal door.


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry. I bet most of you forgot about me and this little story anyway. *sighs*

**Recap:**

Mukuro has glimpsed something out of Cielo's mind. What he saw as he silently creeped into the basement made his lips curl in disgust for a moment. Glass containers, all filled with a greenish liquid, lined the wall as soft and ominous light lit the room. At the far end of the room, in the shadows, Cielo was staring down at a dead body that was painted with fresh red. From what he glimpsed as he disapeared, Cielo's eyes were unnaturally cold and uncaring. Those were the clearest emotions he had ever read from her.

The illusion world is indeed made up from the illusionist's mind. But always, no matter how hard they try, a memory of their past will over power them and form in the world. So why did the basement seem so familiar to Vindicare? And that dead body that laid there was out of place. There were many more mysteries that Mukuro has uncovered. But he'll find soon, that his student's past is shrowded with a dark cloud that hangs around, threatening but not violent. Yet.

* * *

A tense and curious feeling mingled in the air as Mukuro led Cielo to a room. They walked through a familiar hall lined with red paper lanterns that glowed. Cielo was silently on edge as she waited for her mentor to start something. After all, she and Mukuro could simply appear with illusions but instead the two of them were walking. Mukuro on the other hand was relaxed and at ease as he began a conversation.

"So Cielo, how were your three days here so far?" he asked while smiling.

Suspiciously, Cielo stared at Mukuro blankly before replying. "I can't say. I've been asleep for two of the days I was here." And silently, she added, "No thanks to you."

Grinning, Mukuro nodded understandingly, his eyes filled with amusement. Fluently, he continued talking. "What was in the basement?" Out of the corner of his eyes, Mukuro waited for Cielo's reaction.

Blinking and putting a false and questioning smile on, Cielo replied smoothly. "What basement?" False curiosity tinged her eyes as something else was quickly buried underneath, hidden from the world. For a quick moment, Mukuro narrowed his eyes, annoyed his student refused to answer. But as he approached a set of metal doors, he switched his attention to something else.

Upon entering the room, Cielo tensed up. She could feel some violent air around her and quickly, Cielo glanced at her surroundings. Mukuro was already at the far side of the room, his trident out and spinning. His red eye was glowing just as the red lanterns were in the hall. Mukuro's voice echoed in the large room, causing Cielo to stiffen slightly. "Right now, we'll be seeing if you deserve this," he said, holding up a ring.

Looking at the ring, Cielo felt herself smiling. That ring was only given to those who were going to be trained under a Guardian and Cielo felt proud Mukuro thought she deserved it. The ring had a black band and silver outlined the edges. Small markings, which Cielo could barely see, crossed each over each other forming a flowing pattern. The silver curled up and one part, wrapping around the base of a shining indigo gem. Cut with multiple flat surfaces, the gem gleamed brightly.

Meeting Mukuro's glance, Cielo nodded. "But of course, you'll have to come and get it from me!" Mukuro added quickly with glee before summoning his trident. In response Cielo leaned forward, getting ready to dash towards her mentor, when Mukuro tapped the ground, causing green vines to grow at an impossibly fast rate towards her.

Ducking and dodging, Cielo wove between the vines that shot toward her. Mukuro stood there, a triumphant smile dancing on his lips as his student tried to reach him. Mukuro's trident was in his hand as his right eye glowed red with the kanji numeral one. Around him, green ferocious vines with sharp thorns whipped through the air, slashing towards Cielo.

Muttering in concentration, Cielo pulled on the chain that hung from her pocket with her left hand, drawing Mukuro's attention to the object that was pulled out. Swiftly, with a sharp clicking noise, the metallic front cover swung off, revealing the face of an old fashion silver pocket watch. Quickly, Cielo began to turn the knob on the top, avoiding incoming vines at the same time.

Gripping the round object with her right hand, Cielo materialized a short blade in her right hand, gripping it tightly. After a short silence, Cielo made a move, lunging forward and skillfully stepping around the incoming plants. As she dashed towards Mukuro, the ticking of the pocket watch grew louder and louder, while getting slower and slower as the vines snapped at Cielo. Chuckling, Mukuro gestured upwards with his palm and the whole ground suddenly shook violently. Alarmed, Cielo made her way up one of the plants, ignoring the malice they gave off. Just as she was going to lunge once more at Mukuro, from the air, a multitude of vines shot out of the ground, encasing her.

As the vines continued to grow around Cielo, Mukuro stood there with his trident in his hand and a bored expression on his face. Sighing in disappointment, Mukuro shook his head slightly.

"What a shame. She only lasted a few days." With that, he turned around and made a movement to leave. And as he walked away from the mass of plants, listening to the constant tick-tock that filled the room, Mukuro loosened his illusions, making them withdraw slowly. He thought that Cielo was already dead.

Once more, the ground shook with a force but this time, it wasn't Mukuro who caused it. The air behind Mukuro grew cold, causing him to spin around cautiously. Much to his surprise, the lively green vines were drooping quickly, turning an unpleasant shade of brown and green. They fell to the ground in a slippery motion, piling up and revealing a very scratched up but very much alive Cielo. A long cut went up her left arm, dripping with red blood. And slowly, Cielo's red shirt became stained with red as it soaked from another shallow cut on her torso. There was pale ice surrounding her that had veins of black streaking through them. Slowly the ice evaporated, dark mist curling off of it and causing the nearby vines to wilt even more.

"Hmm?" Mukuro said his eyebrow arching. "What's this?" He watched Cielo as she angrily looked around for her fedora, which had been lost in the tangle of vines. With a wave of Mukuro's hand, all the vines disappeared and Cielo fell a short distance to the ground and winced slightly, as she was previously on the pile of green.

Muttering darkly at the ground, Cielo snapped the lid shut on her pocket watch, cutting off the echoing ticking. The blade she previously had also had disappeared already. For a few seconds in the silence, Mukuro could faintly hear turning cogs as they slowed to a complete stop.

Cielo lifted her ice indigo eyes up and Mukuro flinched at them. It was completely empty and cold, showing no emotion. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Mukuro allowed himself to smirk. "Well done, Cielo. It seems you're much better than my last student. _Maybe_ you'll do well." With that, he threw a ring at her, which she caught easily. Cielo fingered the ring carefully before slipping it on her right ring finger. A pleasant shiver went up her spine, making the corners of Cielo's mouth twitch up. Looking up, she was a bit taken aback to see her teacher still standing there, a curious gleam in his eyes.

The two entered a staring contest where Cielo changed her empty face and filled it with her normal cool and innocent look. "Yes sempai?" she asked, still not breaking off her stare.

Breaking off eye contact, Mukuro shook his head and chuckled. For a moment, he laughed at how immature Cielo was as she held his gaze, like a stubborn little girl. It was amazing how much courage she had, how willing she was to stare into his threatening red and blue eyes. Her behavior was much better than his last student. That one barely could hold Mukuro's gaze without flinching.

"What was that?" Mukuro questioned, eyeing the pocket Cielo slipped her pocket watch into.

A thoughtful look crossed her face quickly as Cielo thought how to answer. "Verde. Does that ring a bell?" she asked out loud. Cielo waited for Mukuro to nod before continuing on. "He had those 'Illusion Gloves'. I'm sure you remember. After all, you were one of the people to use them." At this point, Cielo's voice faded out quite a bit, as if she were trying to carefully speak.

Shaking her head as Mukuro coughed quietly, Cielo blinked and looked at her teacher. "Someone I knew asked Verde make the pocket watch for me, with the technology he used for his gloves." Mukuro blinked as he took in the sentence. His student was so blunt but it certainly did make it easier for Mukuro to know what was happening. But then a creeping suspicon filled his mind for a moment. How did she get Verde to help? Cielo wasn't from any rich family and Verde was not easy to hire. Storing the thought so he could ask Cielo later, Mukuro continued on questioning her.

"So you turn my illusions into reality and used what to destroy them?" Mukuro asked, referring to the fact his vines had wilted.

Grinning, Cielo said, "Normally, I would make a blade and turn them into reality. I have quite a few I can make. There's one with a really thick blade that's perfect for hacking at things. Then there's one that's pretty suitable for throwing. Although that one is pretty hard to aim. And then-," The drumming of Mukuro's fingers on his trident made Cielo pause. Mukuro's eyebrow was arched in a mix of amusement and irritation.

"What did you use?" he repeated slowly, as if Cielo was a child incapable of understanding his words.

Cielo's grin faltered for a moment. Slipping her hand into her pocket, she fished out a crystal tube, similar to the ones found in science rooms. However, the top was lidded was an elaborate lid that was shaped like a black crown. Inside was a dark black liquid that sloshed around as Cielo swirled the container. "I used this. Poison."

Oddly enough, even though the quickly disappearing ice behind was dashed with veins of black, it seemed barely any of the dark poison was gone. When Mukuro pointed that out, Cielo grimaced and fingered her bleeding wound, but proudly explained, "The poison I have was also made by Verde. He found a way to break down some molecules and all you have to do is add something into the poison that has iron and protein." Pausing, Cielo added slyly, "Which would be anyone else's blood." She and Mukuro shared an evil grin before she continued on. "The iron and protein fuse with the poison's molecules and the poison. So depending how much blood there is in the poison depends how effective it is. But this is very potent so I never need much." With this, Cielo tucked the tube away as Mukuro threw her a proud look.

Patting Cielo's head with a satisfied grin, Mukuro made it clear he adored his new student so far. He already realized the flaw to Cielo's style of fighting was that it took time for her to prepare so the fact she could pull of her attacks meant she was well trained and quick. Meanwhile, a blank stare slipped onto Cielo's face as she felt her head for the indigo banded fedora she was accustomed to. When she looked at Mukuro, he grinned slightly and shrugged, saying no, he didn't know where her hat went. All while hiding it with his illusion as it lay on the floor next to her.

=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=

And then shortly after, mayhem took place.


End file.
